“You Will Find Me Leading the Front”
On the eve of battle, 1 September 1965, as Operation Grand Slam began, an officer of 11 Cavalry addressed his men with words that would outlive him: “Those of you who know me will find me leading the front, and those who do not know me yet shall not fail in discovering me.” He proved his words that very day. His name was Mian Raza Shah. He was martyred leading his squadron into the attack.
Four Tanks, One Objective
An officer of the 20th PMA Long Course serving with 11 Cavalry (Frontier Force), he commanded C Squadron — the first to make contact with the enemy. Most of the squadron’s tanks were bogged down near Panjgiran. Undeterred, he changed tanks four times to keep control of his squadron’s advance. Each time his tank was stuck, he found another and kept going, because the squadron’s advance mattered more than his own safety. Left with only a single tank, he pressed on alone to Chak Pandit, his squadron’s phase-one objective. Despite heavy enemy shelling and thick vegetation, he kept moving — and captured his objective single-handedly. Then a recoilless rifle, hidden in a maize field, knocked out his tank. He and his entire crew embraced shahadat. Only the driver, Ghulam Khan, survived.
Honour Beyond Measure
He was recommended for the Nishan-e-Haider, Pakistan’s highest military award, and was instead awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat. He was promoted to the rank of Major after his shahadat. Few officers in the nation’s history have earned such recognition — and fewer still have earned it so completely.
Leaders are remembered for what they do when everything goes wrong. When his squadron’s tanks were stuck, when he was left with a single tank, when the shelling was heaviest, Major Mian Raza Shah kept moving forward. That is what his men were promised on the eve of battle — and that is what he gave them.
The Original Tribute
The start of the September 1965 war. 01 Sep 1965. Op Grand Slam.
Today is 61st shahadat anniversary of Major Mian Raza Shah Shaheed. 20L/C ex 11Cav FF. SJ.
On 01Sep65, on the eve of battle, Maj Raza said: “Those of you who know me will find me leading the front and those who do not know me yet shall not fail in discovering me.” And he proved his words.
C Squadron, commanded by Maj Raza, was actually the first to make contact with the enemy. Most of the tanks of C Squadron were bogged down near Panjgiran. Maj Raza changed 4 tanks to be able to control the advance of his squadron. He was left with only one tank yet he advanced to Chak Pandit which was the objective of his squadron for phase one. Despite heavy enemy shelling and thick vegetation he kept on moving and captured his objective alone.
A recoil-less rifle hidden in a maize field knocked his tank; he and all his crew members embraced shahadat except the driver Ghulam Khan.
He was recommended for Nishan-e-Haider, but later he was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat. He was promoted to the rank of Major after his shahadat.
The blood of the martyrs will surely bear fruit.
Sixty-One Years On, the Words Still Echo
His shahadat anniversary is observed every year on 1 September, the anniversary of the 1965 war’s opening battles. Sixty-one years on, his words still echo wherever soldiers gather: you will find me leading the front.
Operation Grand Slam was the opening act of the September war, and C Squadron’s attack was its spearhead. The courage shown that day — by Major Mian Raza Shah and the crew who died with him — set the tone for everything that followed in that war. He promised to lead from the front, and he kept his word to the very end. The nation salutes him, and the armoured corps holds his name among its immortals. The blood of the martyrs, as the tribute says, will surely bear fruit.
 embraced shahadat on 1 September 1965 in Operation Grand Slam. Read his full tribute here.){kind=link}